Drowsy Ollie

My little boy has never slept as much as he did yesterday. After our nap together from 7:30am to 10am, he napped from 11:15 to 11:45 and then again from 1:15pm to 2:15pm and then again from 5pm to 5:45pm. I think it was a side effect from the vaccinations. However, I also know babies his age are supposed to nap about that much each day. He just never really has.

I got so much done around the house from cleaning the floors to vacuuming. It was the first time I got to vacuum the stairs since we moved in! I couldn't lift the vacuum up and down the stairs while I was pregnant, and ever since having Oliver, I haven't had the time. It looks great.

I also got to make dinner for Andrew before he got home, which I've only been able to do one other time before. I used all the leftover stuff in the fridge and came up with egg salad sandwiches and garlic asparagus.

Last night, it was slightly more difficult to get Oliver to sleep than normal. Actually, he cried when I started rocking him to sleep. I stood up and patted him, and he fell asleep on my shoulder at 8pm. He slept through until 3:30am! And then he slept again from 4am to 5:30am.

I wasn't able to sleep after waking up at 3:30am, but I laid in bed, resting, until he got up for the day. Now he's napping again (which is normal for him around 7am or so). But what's new and different is... he's napping outside of my arms! He's napping in his infant seat. Hurray!

Day After Vaccinations

I expected (and still expect) last night, today, and the weekend to be a little rough for Ollie Pop since his vaccinations.

Today, he's sleeping so much. We napped together from 7:30am to 10am because I was desperate for some sleep. Then he slept from 11am to 11:45am. He fell asleep again at 1:15pm and is just waking up now, so, actually, I have to go tend to my little man.

So much sleep! I wonder how it'll be tonight?

Oliver Refuses Sleep

OK, the nap thing yesterday might have backfired. Last night was Oliver's most difficult night since his first night home from the hospital (nothing could compare to that completely sleepless night!).

I took the advice from The No-Cry Sleep Solution and put Oliver to bed as soon as he was feeling tired. That happened at 7:30pm. He slept his longest stretch, ever, and slept until 3:30am. That's 8 hours!!!

The only problem is, after that 8 hours, he refused to go back to sleep. That actually was a big problem because I hadn't gone to sleep until 11pm the night before, and I'd woken up at 2am waiting for him to wake up for his usual nighttime feeding. Let me tell you, three hours of sleep is just not enough.

I tried to nurse him to settle him down. He ate, but he didn't settle. Then I tried to rock him and pat him (that's how he usually falls asleep), but he wasn't having it. I started to feel angry with him, but I knew that wasn't rational. Still, he wouldn't stop screaming, and it was hard to keep a sane perspective. Finally, when I thought I was going to break down (4:30am), I woke up Andrew and asked him to please take the baby.

Andrew tried to settle him down to no avail. I couldn't sleep knowing Oliver was so upset, so I decided to get back up. I took Oliver from Andrew and went back upstairs. That time, the rocking and patting worked, and Oliver drifted off into sleep. Success! I went back to bed, but I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about what a horrible mom I was for feeling so mad at the little baby. I love him so much, but I couldn't deal with one night of sleeplessness.

Then, about 30 minutes later (5:30am), he woke back up, crying. I ran to his room and picked him up, hoping to rock him back to sleep before he was completely awake. It didn't work. He wailed into my ears. I kept thinking to myself, "He's just a baby. He has a cold. He's on a new schedule. He's just a baby..."

I didn't last more than ten minutes. I heard myself say to him, "Oliver, stop crying and go to sleep." When I realized I was seriously trying to tell him what to do, I feared I'd gone legitimately crazy. Andrew has to work today, and I didn't want to wake him. However, I was worried about my mental state at that point and wasn't sure I should be holding the most important thing to me when I didn't know up from down. I woke Andrew back up and asked him if he would be willing to start his day extra early.

Andrew took Oliver downstairs, and everything was quiet. I laid in bed, unable to sleep. What were Ollie and Andrew doing? Were they sleeping? Did Andrew take him for a drive? Is Andrew feeling like he's going crazy? What if he thinks he can't come back to wake me up because he thinks I can't handle it? What if he can't handle it? What if Oliver is hungry, but Andrew doesn't think he can ask me to feed him? Why didn't I feed Oliver before I gave him to Andrew?

Six-thirty in the morning, and I dragged myself out of bed. I wasn't going to get any more sleep. I went downstairs, apparently crying (didn't realize I was until Andrew asked me what was wrong). Andrew was laying on the couch; Oliver was sleeping on his chest. I went to the kitchen and brewed a huge pot of coffee.

I don't want to give up on the book, and I don't want to give up on Oliver's napping. However, to keep my sanity, I think it's in my best interest to go to bed when Oliver does, even if it's at 7:30pm. That way, when he wakes up at 3 or 4am and refuses to sleep, I'll be well-rested. Honestly, I haven't gotten to sleep more than about 4 hours at a time since having Oliver. Sleeping from 7:30pm to 3:30am sounds like a dream...

So, after day 1 of The No-Cry Sleep Solution, Oliver has slept his longest stretch to date. However, his total number of night-time sleep hours has dropped. Which is better? I'm not sure.

I'm just glad I feel sane again and that we all made it through the difficult night.



Update: Oliver is in a great mood today! He even let me suction out his boogers. I apologized to him for instructing him to go to sleep last night. He smiled and said, "wwwaaaa," and I think that means, "I forgive you, Mommy." Right now, he's playing with his duck and talking to our ceiling fan.

Nap Progress!

Can I say "Thank you" again to Missy? I'm loving The No-Cry Sleep Solution. I love reading the little blurbs from mothers, most of whom feel the same way I do. When I read about their experiences trying to let their babies "cry it out," I cried, too. Just my five minute experience with it the other day was enough for me to swear off of it forever. Apparently, I'm not the only one!

Today, I was reading how frequently and long Oliver should be napping. She briefly mentioned that babies shouldn't nap less than an hour because they don't get to complete their sleep cycle and can, in turn, be more tired. That really jumped out at me because Ollie's naps in my arms are sometimes 20 minutes, sometimes 30, but most frequently, they're 45 minutes. Only once on the occasional day does he nap for an hour or more.

Today, he drifted off to sleep in my arms at 8:15am. I sat in the computer chair with him so I could read more of The No-Cry Sleep Solution. Ollie started fidgeting after half an hour. I proptly rocked him in the chair and patted his back, and he settled back down into sleep. Fifteen minutes later, we repeated the process, and again ten minutes after that. At 9:15am, I celebrated silently that he'd slept an hour. Then, since he reached the milestone, I set him in his infant seat so I could pee and brew some coffee. I expected him to wake up immediately like always, but he's still sleeping (20 minutes later)!

I also read that babies shouldn't nap more than 3 hours in a row because then they can flip their nights and days. If he's still sleeping at 10:30am, I'll take him upstairs and change his diaper to wake him up. I don't think that will be an issue, though.

Time to enjoy my coffee and do the dishes!

The No-Cry Sleep Solution

My cousin, Missy, who's the mother of 3-year-old Jack, recommended The No-Cry Sleep Solution for me. There was a waiting list for it at the library, and it was sold out at Borders, so Andrew downloaded it for me online. I'm halfway through the intro, and the book is already helping me!

How is it helping me so quickly? I'm appreciating his sleep so much more! I would be so helpless if he was one of those babies who woke up 8 times a night. Oliver, my sweet, sweet baby, thank you for only getting up 1-2 times each night. I love you for that sleep!

I'm eager to continue with the book and read her ideas. It'll be helpful to (one day) teach him to fall asleep on his own. It's not necessary right now, since I still nurse him, and he falls asleep while I nurse. I'm also eager to learn how to help him nap (outside of my arms!).

I'll continue writing updates on the book, and hopefully see some real progress!